Students from less-dominant linguistic backgrounds generally have less opportunity to participate in classroom mathematical discourse compared to their English-dominant peers. An issue raised by mathematics education researchers concerned with issues of equity and opportunities for students is that status quo classroom practices and norms supported by teachers may be less familiar to students from non-dominant linguistic groups, or even detrimental to their classroom participation. Additionally, students who position themselves as doers of mathematics usually come from dominant cultural and linguistic groups (Abreu & Cline, 2002; Hand, 2012), potentially disposing students to perceive classroom mathematics learning through the lens of dominant cultural norms and practices. Thus, students who do not come from dominant linguistic backgrounds might perceive the mathematics classroom differently than their English dominant peers. However, less research has been conducted on how mathematics teachers attend to or notice norms around language and introduce new ones that encourage a multitude of linguistic practices, therefore heightening student participation. Heightening student participation can have implications for students being more likely to identify with mathematics. Additionally, examining students’ participation when using a multitude of linguistic practices or translanguaging is helpful for teachers attending to their own practice to support emerging bilingual students and bilingual students when engaging in mathematical sensemaking.
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PARENTS AS FACILITATORS: UTILIZATION OF BILINGUAL LANGUAGING PRACTICES DURING MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM SOLVING
This study highlights parents’ linguistic capital and how they use specific languaging practices to facilitate their child’s learning. One bilingual family used multiple languages to facilitate their son’s learning through two mathematical tasks. Using Dominguez’ conceptual framework of bilingualism, we analyzed these conversations to look for natural units of communication and its relation towards their problem solving goals. The data shows the family would switch from English to Spanish to help their child surpass several barriers during their mathematical activities. Leveraging bilingual languaging practices can counter the deficit lens with which minoritized students are typically viewed.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2036549
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10411800
- Editor(s):
- Bateiha, S.; Cobbs, G.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 49th Annual Meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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